The Demon Boar of Lescatie

Art by Mike Perry

Villages and homesteads in eastern Lescatie have long been terrorized by a truly fearsome beast - the Demon Boar of Lescatie. Bigger than a horse, with tusks as wide as two large mens' arms, and driven by an unquenchable anger, the boar's attacks are never predictable, but always terrifying. Every couple of months, it emerges from the woods, lays waste to all in its path, and then retreats to the depths of the wild. Whenever it does arise, it inevitably creates a panic in its wake. Though the knights of the Order of Lescatie have established their garrisons to watch for the Demon Boar's wrath, none have managed to fell it.

No one knows where the Demon Boar came from, but it does seem to be the same creature each time it strikes, bearing the same scars from many battles. Some say it was the product of unnatural congress between a demon and a sow. Others claim that the boar was once a mortal warrior who was cursed into the form of a wild beast and driven mad in the woods. What is known is that it possesses a terrifying strength, and all weapons forged by mortal man seem to bounce off its hide. Last year, a knight of the Order of Lescatie attempted to slay the Demon Boar with a blessed lance, which remains embedded in the beast's flank to this day. No doubt the lance would be a mighty weapon - but to retrieve it would be a heroic task indeed. Someone who could end the creature's threat once and for all would enjoy a hero's welcome - perhaps even proving their worthiness to join the Order of the Lily.

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Treasure

• Sticking out of the Demon Boar's left flank is a blessed lance, containing a fingerbone of a saint and anointed in holy water. It behaves as a +1 lance, but instead gives a bonus of +3 to attack and damage rolls against fiends and undead. When you roll a 20 on an attack roll made with this weapon, the target takes an extra 7 piercing damage, or an extra 14 piercing damage if it's a fiend or undead.
• The meat of the Demon Boar has a rich taste, worthy of an emperor's table. However, one cannot consume the creature's flesh without being consumed by its wildness. They must make a DC 15 Wisdom save or fall into a berserk state for 1d8 hours. During this time, they will attack targets indiscriminately and behave as a barbarian's rage. A PC under this effect becomes an NPC under the DM's control until this effect ends (alternatively, the DM can veto any action they perform at their discretion).